Artificial semiprecious stone



Oct. 28, 1930.

G. J WlDER ARTIFICIAL SEMIPRECIOUS STONE Filed Deb. 26. 1929 NVENT eorgef 35 BY( 4:0 ATTORN Y Patented Oct. 28, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GEORGE J. WIDER, OF FLORAL PARK, NEW'YORK, ASSIGNOR TO DREHER BROS. & WIDER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A COPARTNERSHIP COMIPOSED OF JACOB DREHER,

OTTO DREHER, AND GEORGE J. WIDEB ARTIFICIAL SEMIPREGIOUS STONE Application filed December 26, 1929. Serial No. 416,718.

This invention relates to artificial semiprecious stones, and has for its principal object and purpose to provide a simple and inexpensive structure whereby synthetlc stones for jewelry settings in realistic simulation of the natural highly expensive stones known in the art as the star sapphire or star ruby may be produced and sold at comparatively low cost to the purchaser.

It is another object of the invention to provide synthetic stones for jewelry settings of the above character in various shapes and sizes, and in which simulation of the star found in the natural semi-precious stone is produced in the synthetic material itself, in such manner that it will not be subject to wear or mutilation incident to use, and the front face of the stone will have a highly polished unbroken surface.

Heretofore, various attempts have been made to reproduce or realistically simulate the natural star sapphire or ruby in a synthetic or artificial stone. Insofar as I am aware, such efforts have not been commercially successful. I have however, now succeeded in perfecting a structure whereby a very close simulation of the natural stone is obtained and which has met with pronounced favor in the trade. This new structure is produced by first molding the synthetic material in the general outline shape required with a convex front face and a flat or plane rear face, highly polishing the convex face of the stone, then by means of a suitable grinding tool, concaving the rear face of the stone, and finally scoring the concave rear surface of the stone along radial lines intersecting at the center thereof to represent a six-pointed star. The rear concave face of the stone is eccentric relative to the front convex face thereof, and by the refraction of light, the star shaped figure cut in the rear face of the stone has the appearance of being incorporated in the structure of the stone itself and immediately beneath the front convex surface, when the stone is mounted in the jewelry setting. This is the distinguishing characteristic of the natural star sapphire or ruby.

With the above and other objects in view,

the invention consists in the artificial or synthetic stone for jewelry settings, as will be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and subsequently incorporated in the subjoined claims.

In the drawing, wherein I have disclosed a simple and practical embodiment of my invention, and in which similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views,-

Figure 1 is a front face view of a synthetic or artificial semi-precious stone showing one form of my invention;

Fig.2 is a similar front face view showing the synthetic stone before it is cut or scored;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a similar view showing the next step of the method;

Fig. 5 is a rear face view of the completed stone;

Fig. 6 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5, and

Figs. 7 and 8 are front face views similar to Fig. 1 showing different forms or shapes of stones embodying the present invention.

Referring in detail to the drawing, in the production of the synthetic or artificial star sapphire or ruby, the proper materials, the composition of which is well known in the art are fused in a suitable mold and cut to the desired general cross sectional and outline form or contour to produce the stone 5 in the desired shape and size. In every case, this stone has a convex front surface or face indicated at 6 which is highly polished and the flat or plane rear face 7. The synthetic material, is of course suitably colored to simulate the coloring of the natural sapphire or ruby, and is more or less semi-opaque. Of course, cheap or inferior imitations might be produced from ordinary colored glass, but in such material, the desired eifect is soon marred by the scratching of the polished glass surface. The fused composition material from which the synthetic stone is produced,-is exceedingly hard, and capable of retaining indefinitely a high surface polish.

After the synthetic material has been fused a sixrated in the bod and the front convex surface thereof properly lished as'seen in Fi 3 of the drawn s,

y means of a suitable grinding tool, t e

rear face 7 thereof is concaved as indicated at 8 in Fig. 4. This concave surface 8,'in

all directions is eccentric with respect to the convex front face of the stone.

By means of the proper tool, thercar concave face 8. of the stone is then scored or cut as shown at 9 along lines radiating from the center of said concave face 8 to represent inted star. 'Thus the arms or points of the star are spaced apart 60. Preferably, the scores are \l-shaped in cross section, gradually increasin in depth from the outer ends or points of t 0 several scores to their inner ends where the mer together and intersect, as clearly in icate in Fig. 6 of the drawing.

.As indicated in Fig. 1, after the rear face of the stone has thus been cut or scored, when viewed from the front, owing to the relation between the. concave rear face and the convex front face of the stone, and the refraction of light, the scores 9 forming the star shaped figure have the appearance of being incorpostructure of the stone and l g immediate y below the olished convex nt face 6 of the stone. T 1115, I have succeeded in reproducing the appearance of the natural star sapphire or ruby, in which the front face of the:sto'ne is entirely smooth and unbroken. Itha's'ibeen attempted to secure a realistic simulation of a star sapphire in an artificial stone by superimposing or forming upon the convex surface of the stone a star shaped fi ure. However, this effort was a failure as t e attempted deception was apparent to the untrained eye. Also, the superimposed markings on the front face of the stone representing the star, would in the course of use become badly worn or obliterated. By means of my present method, it is apparent that this is not possible, since the scores or cuts are formed in the rear concaved face of the stone.

In Fi 1 to 5 of the drawings, I have represente the stone as being of elliptical shaped form in plan. However, as seen in Figs. 7 and 8, such a synthetic or artificial semi-precious stone might also be produced in'a square or rectangular shape or form as well as in a circular form. These are the several shapes in which the natural star sapphire or rub is generall prepared forthe commerica market.

sha s of the stone.

mm the foregoing description considered owever, it is possible that my invention might also be applied to other sults, and it is accordingly to be understood that I reserve the rivilege of'resorfing to afl such legitimate c angesthereim be fairly incorporated within. the spirit scope of the Invention as cl'aimedt 1. A synthetic or artificial'star sapphire or rub: comp a stone of synthetic ma) terial aving l iiigu polished convex from; face and a reflecting concave real! rm eccentrio in all directions with respect to said polished front face of the stone, and radially extending intersecting scores cut in said concave rear face of the stone extendin between opposite points on the edge of sai concave rear face to form a star shaped figure.

2. A-synthetic or artificial star sapphire or ruby comprising a stone of synthetic ma terial having a highly polished convex front face and a reflecting concave rear face eccen" trio in all directions with respect to said polished front face of the stone, and radially extending intersecting scores cut in said con cave rear face of the stone extendin (between opposite points on the edge of said rear face, said scores gradually increasing in width and de th from their outer ends to the center of sai concave face and being 5 aced apart 60 to represent a six-pointe star s aped figure. p

3. A stone for jewelry settings having a highly polished front face and a reflecting concave rear face, and a plurality of radially extending scores cut in said concave rear face to form-a star-shaped figure.-

4. A stone for jewelry settlngs having an unbroken highly polished convex front face concave and a reflecting concave rear face eccentric in all directions with respect to the front face of the stone, and a star-shaped figure delineated upon said concave face of the stone and resulting, from the reflection of light when viewed through the convex front face of the stone, in the'o tical illusion of the star-shaped form within the structure of the,

stone contiguous to said convex front face thereof.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention,'I have si ned my name hereto.

GE RGE J. WIDER.

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